A couple of years ago, Focal  – known for high-end speakers – came out with their first headphone, the Spirit One and it became an instant hit with the headphone crowd. While the Spirit One wasn’t cheap, it was portable, well made and sounded great. Focal has upped the ante with two new not-so portable models that go in different directions aesthetically and aurally. Focal states that the closed back, circum-aural (covers the ears) Classic and Professional were designed to remain comfortable over extended periods of time with memory foam ear pads and headband. The Spirit Professional is geared towards – you guessed it – the pro in the recording studio. The Pro was tuned to have total control of the audio band for precise and detailed sound reproduction, without distortion. Its design features a shock- and scratch-resistant textured black finish. The light chocolate-colored and bronze audiophile Classic headphone was tuned for listening at home with extended low end, detailed mid-range and linear top end for an open sound. The Classic is not as isolating as the Pro, but Focal says it’s not needed since they were designed for a quieter home environment without the need to mask surrounding noise. This quiet tuning also allows the Classic to avoid any boosted bass inherent in headphones made for commuting. The Focal Professional sells for $349 US and the Classic sells for $399 US. Both are available now and will be reviewed on The Gadgeteer soon. Stay tuned.

If you’re a fan of those mega-popular headphones that are endorsed by mega-stars, understand that you are adding mega-bucks to their mega-bank accounts. They aren’t lending their names to promote a headphone for free and the headphone company certainly isn’t paying for it; you are. It’s hidden in the cost. Okay then, what if you desire a pair of those headphones and the status they offer, but can’t afford them? Well, now you can have the status without the brand name with the new Status Audio HD One Headphones. The style is visually similar to the more famous headphones, but contain no logos or branding. Plus, they maintain the performance and features of headphones costing double, triple, and even quadruple their price, claims Status Audio. They’re coated in a rubberized finish as opposed to shiny plastic, have 40mm drivers and a flat, detachable, tangle-free cable with in-line mic with 3-button remote. The on-ear HD One is foldable and comes in three colors: Red (Marathon), Black (Jet Black) and Black with red trim (Classic). The Status Audio HD One headphones sell for an affordable $40 and will be available May 1, 2014.

One of the cool things about the internet is we can now easily discover new products from around the world without leaving our house. Being an audio junkie, I’m always searching for new and interesting gear. One search led me to France where audio company Aëdle (pronounced ā-duhl) hand-assembles a beautiful and minimalist designed headphone. It’s this attention to detail that makes Aëdle interesting and unique, because most headphones – regardless of where they’re designed – are made in China. Aëdle has two models: The VK-1 Classic and the VK-1 Carbon. The Classic is light brown leather with bright, brushed aluminum, while the Carbon has stealthy black leather with black anodized aluminum. Aluminum parts are sculpted one at a time from a solid aluminum ingot. The headband and cushions are hand-sewn using lambskin leather. Both headphones have identical technical specs: 40 mm titanium diaphragm with neodymium magnet and have a frequency response of 20 – 20k Hz with 0.5% total harmonic distortion – in other words, good stuff. Each VK-1 comes with a detachable cable and a travel pouch with airline and 6.5 mm adapters. The Aëdle VK-1 Classic and Carbon are available directly from Aëdle for $380 US plus shipping.

You could say that it seems like every audio company is getting into the headphones business. Everywhere you turn, some speaker company has entered the fray, which can only make everyone better. And headphones have improved significantly in the last 5 years. A case in point is Japan’s Onkyo. This old and respected brand have released their first headphone and earphone models: ES-HF300 & ES-FC300 on-ear and IE-HF300 & IE-FC300 in-ear headphones. The only difference between the HF and FC models is the quality of the cable. The higher end HF300 has 6N (99.9999%) super-pure copper cable with a transparent covering. The slightly less expensive FC300 comes with a standard flat cable. Both the on-ear and in-ear cables are removable. Onkyo will sell cables separately, so you can upgrade the cable later if you wish.

The on-ear headphones feature padded, adjustable headband, leatherette earpads, and 40 mm (1 9/16˝) full-range titanium drivers encased in aluminum. Onkyo claims that the drivers are sympathetic to compressed audio formats without sacrificing sensitivity for lossless and 192/24 playback (that’s hi-res, folks). The in-ear phones feature a large 14.3 mm (9/16″) dynamic, or moving-coil-type, transducer. The aluminum/ABS resin housing provides exceptional rigidity, reducing unwanted vibration, according to Onkyo.

The prices are: On-ear: ES-HF300 – $179; ES-FC300 – $149. In-ear: IE-HF300 – $129; IE-FC300 – $99. All are available now.